The fall/winter 2024 trends to know (and shop) right now

The fall 2024 fashion landscape has emerged with vibrant trends that are both nostalgic (there are vintage references to many of the looks) and forward-looking, with sculptural silhouettes and cuts that recall the modern art movement. We look at fashion disruptors like Miuccia Prada and creative director of Bottege Veneta Matthieu Blazy, who are leading the charge in fall 2024 fashion, among others, who are offering an exciting education in the mix of textures, colours, and genres. Their collections showcase the evolving direction of womenswear, and as we study these trends, consider how you can incorporate elements from these designs into your closet for a seasonal wardrobe reset.

From bold colours to nostalgic silhouettes, this season is all about energising your personal style, as well as moving your dusty wardrobe out of your comfort zone. Whether you’re shopping for total looks or updating your existing clothes, these trends will keep you optimistic and confident as the year wraps up.

VIVID COLOUR

This fall sees a dramatic shift from the muted tones of previous seasons to bold and vibrant shades. Designers are embracing chromotherapy in the use of bright hues like red and yellow, which can help boost energy, especially for those who are feeling unmotivated and sloth-like as the year crawls to a close. Vibrant colours, which is often seen in oversized coats, tailored suits, and statement pieces, allow wearers to make a striking impression and express a mood. Look out for monochromatic outfits or colourful layering blocks, such as those which Dries Van Noten showed in his masterful final collection for the label, to top the colour charts.

BOLD UNEXPECTED TEXTURE

Unexpected texture is key to elevating even the most common of wardrobe staples, with designers showing bold contrasting fabrics like corduroy, boucle, knits and leathers to provide interest to quite standard jackets or skirts. Unusual materials add depth and surprise to any item, making them perfect for updating what you already have as a staple. Think how an elaborately beaded blazer paired can immediately render stylish a plain pencil skirt; or as Nicolas Ghesquiere showed for Louis Vuitton, gold boucle suddenly makes a tracksuit an evening out statement – in luxe comfort. Unusual textures not only enhances visual appeal but also provides a certain weight to signal a change in season, from every day to festive.

CUBIST CUTS

Maxi-length skirts with jagged hems; asymmetrical tailoring; deconstructed collars, sleeves and closings; geometric panels and flaps that swoop out of nowhere, breaking preconceived forms – the artistic Cubist motifs of the 1910s are making a powerful comeback this season. Flowing coats and maxi dresses at Bottega Veneta are being reimagined with modern cuts, offering different perspectives on traditional garments; Designers such as Jonathan Anderson at Loewe are playing with overlapping layers and diagonal slits, merging a kind of cerebral elegance with sensuality, as a re-examination of classic fashion shapes seen with 21st Century eyes.

VINTAGE VIBES

Thanks to actresses like Zendaya and influencer Kim Kardashian who have taken to wearing vintage couture like otters to prized koi, nostalgia is a prominent theme this fall, with trends from the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s making a significant impact. Think the vintage-inspired shapes of high-waisted flared trousers, corsets and Noughties minimalism. Vintage-inspired accessories, like retro sunglasses and bucket hats, and clompy Doc Martens-style boots are also widely embraced. The prevalence of vintage style is one of the defining characteristics of our fashion era – we live in times when fashions past is always with us in the form of the Internet, which is the Great Library of Alexandria as far as fashion archives go. Add to this the reality of couture resellers and thrift shopping and the result is that fashion never really goes away. Miuccia Prada has always embraced the vintage look in her design ethos. This season at Prada and Miu Miu, standout looks incorporate the feel of thrifted or remade vintage items. Creative director of Maison Margiela John Galliano too is the master of mining the past.

THE MASCULINE FORM

The appeal of masculine tailoring will never go away in fashion, because this style will always symbolically empower, challenge norms, and provide women with a sense of individuality that conventional feminine clothes don’t. Influential figures in fashion, such as Coco Chanel and more recently, actress Tilda Swinton, have blurred gender lines in their wardrobes, inspiring women to embrace a more androgynous aesthetic. Tailoring can convey a sense of sophistication and elegance, with its clean lines and structured silhouettes often associated with menswear’s origins in utility, military and sportswear, which is appealingly minimalist in times of excess. This season, Anthony Vaccarello at Saint Laurent continues to update the house’s legendary suits made famous by Catherine Denueve in the 1970s.